Utah News

More pieces are being put into place for Salt Lake City’s new Performing Arts Center.  Yesterday City officials announced who will be designing and building the $110 million dollar project. HKS Architects, a local firm,  along with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects beat out 14 other bidders to design the future theater which will sit on Main Street. Michael Vela, managing principal with HKS says it’s still too early to tell what the theater could look like.

Nearly $100 million in federal grant money has recently been made available to states. How will Utah use this money and how will it help our job market?

Under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act, states have been attempting programs that will give employers an alternative to lay-offs. The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced a grant that is intended to aid states in the implementation of one of those programs.

From The Standard Examiner -- The air along the Wasatch Front has taken on a golden glow that looks pretty, but there’s nothing magical about the particulate matter and ozone readings behind it.

That glow is from wildfires raging in Idaho, Nevada and even Washington state. The National Weather Service says neither the fires nor the bad air is going away anytime soon.

The Utah Division of Air Quality says levels of particulate matter in the air haven’t reached dangerous levels yet, but they are high enough that people with lung problems, the elderly and infants should be careful and avoid outdoor exertion.

An American flag that is making its way across the country made a stop Monday in Vernal. Supporters gathered at the war memorial in front of the Uintah County building to pay tribute to local fallen veterans and to support the 2012 Patriot Tour.

The Patriot Tour is an annual event of the Nation of Patriots, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for wounded veterans and their families.

In the past two years filming for major motion pictures has made a comeback, and the Utah Film Commission projects that 2012 will be a “watershed year,” with film crews spending $56 million in the state. Lured to Utah by cash rebates, Sony Pictures and Disney were encamped in Moab for most of the summer.